


Side Effects May Vary

by JesusOtakuFreak



Category: Katekyou Hitman Reborn!
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-07-01
Updated: 2015-07-01
Packaged: 2018-04-07 04:29:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,391
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4249332
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JesusOtakuFreak/pseuds/JesusOtakuFreak
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When Ginger hears a friend is suffering from a cold, she offers her friend a home remedy which cured her when she was sick. However, the soup isn't without side effects... OOC warning. May or may not follow story line.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Side Effects May Vary

**Summary: When Ginger hears a friend is suffering from a cold, she offers her friend a home remedy which cured her when she was sick. However, the soup isn't without side effects... OOC warning.**

**AN: This is a sequel to my story, Life is but a Dream, but you can definitely read this story without needing to read the first one.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Katekyo Hitman Reborn**

"Ah, it's so hot," I complained, wiping the sweat from my brow.

"We should get ice cream after this," My best friend, Kia, suggested, smiling brightly.

"Yeah, we should," I agreed, fanning myself. "So, you're really growing you hair out?" I asked, flicking at Kia's silky black hair.

She grinned, flipping her hair back, the flowy silky strands hanging past her shoulders. "Yes, ma'am! I look cuter with long hair, don't I?"

"Yes, but it's summer. Why didn't you grow your hair out in the fall or winter?" I inquired.

"Because I'm aiming to grow my hair super long by the time school opens again," Kia answered, toying with the sun-colored bows tied near both ears.

Kia was average in size and height, her round, expressive viridian eyes vividly standing out against her tanned light skin. It was a sweltering Friday afternoon, and Kia and I decided to visit our close friend, Cadie, when she told us she couldn't join us on a shopping trip because of a really bad cold. School let out for summer break two weeks ago, and when Cadie told me she was sick with the cold, immediately I was reminded of my own illness last summer and called up Kia, asking her to whip up that nasty soup of hers that helped cure me.

"It's not 'nasty,' it's gunky," Kia corrected me.

"Same difference! So? Will you make it or not?"

"Of course! I'll prepare it right away!"

So, here we were, standing outside Cadie's front door. I raised a fist to knock again when the door opened, and a sickly looking Cadie stood in her pink robe and matching fuzzy slippers, carrying a box of tissue. Her long brown hair was tangled and unbrushed, partly covering her light skinned tired face. Cadie coughed into a tissue, quirking an eyebrow at us in curiosity.

"Um… hey, guys," she greeted weakly, her nose clearly stuffed.

"Hey, Cadie!" Kia shouted happily, breezing past the sick girl. "Why are you the one answering the door? You don't have anyone looking after you?" Kia asked.

"No. Parents and Don are at work. You know I love you girls, but why are you here?" Cadie asked.

"When you told me you couldn't hang out with us because of your illness, I immediately called Kia," I explained, entering the air-conditioned house and shutting the door, sighing in satisfaction as the cool air gradually enveloped my sweating body.

"Kia?" Cadie repeated, turning to the girl who beamed a bright smile.

"Yeah, you remember how I got sick last summer?"

"Hold on one sec," Cadie said, plucking several tissues and sneezing loudly into them. "Uuuugh," she groaned, swaying.

"Whoa, we should get you back in bed," Kia said, concerned.

"Yeah, I agree," I said, nodding.

We helped Cadie back to her room, and she sighed deeply when she sunk into her bed.

"Thanks," she said, wiping her nose with a tissue.

"Kia, do you have it?" I asked, turning to my best friend.

"Yes, ma'am!" Kia stated happily, raising the paper bag.

Cadie stared at us inquisitively, her eyes zooming in on the paper bag. "What's that?" she asked.

"It's my Grandma's Super Ultra Special Outta this World Lucky Love Gunky Soup!" Kia answered, pulling out from the bag a clear plastic container filled with thick green liquid.

Cadie recoiled, staring in wide-eyed disgust and shock at the atrocious-looking and smelling liquid.

"Oh, my gosh, what _is_ that?!" Cadie demanded.

"I told you, it's my Grandma's Super Ultra Special—"

"Kia," I stopped my friend, shooting her an exasperated look before shifting my attention back on Cadie. "I know it looks gross, Cadie, and to be honest, it tastes even grosser, but trust me when I say it will cure your cold," I assured her.

"Cure my cold? There's no such thing! It's a virus, so you have to let it run its course," Cadie argued.

"That's what I told Kia when she said her soup can cure my illness. I was skeptical, too—"

"People usually are," Kia interrupted.

"But I can guarantee one hundred percent that it works. It cured me," I said.

"You mean you actually _ate_ that?!" Cadie asked, horrified.

"Well, more like it was force fed to me," I said, glaring at Kia.

"I apologized, didn't I?" Kia replied, averting her gaze to the side.

"So… it really cured you?" Cadie asked me.

"Yup! It cured me and Kia. It can cure you, too."

Kia handed Cadie the container and plastic spoon, and Cadie sat up, accepting the items. Cadie scrunched her face when she dipped the spoon in the thick, gunky liquid, bringing the spoon close to her mouth.

"You know, I'm wishing I had a stuffy nose right now," I groaned, the smell starting to affect me.

Cadie squeezed her eyes tight as she shoved the spoon into her mouth, gulping the vile liquid down her throat only to cough it back up.

 _"Uuuuuugh!"_ she retched.

"I know it's gross, but you're going to have to eat way more than that if you want the soup to work," Kia said.

"Ugh, no way, it's not happening!" Cadie refused. "It tastes like vomit!"

"Have you actually tasted vomit to make that comparison?" Kia asked, crossing her arms.

"Fine. It tastes what I suspect vomit tastes like," Cadie corrected, sneering.

"Whatever! You have to finish it," Kia ordered.

"No, I don't," Cadie rejected, setting the container on the bedside table.

"So, we're doing this the hard way, huh?" Kia said, rolling up her sleeves.

"Hey, what are you doing?! Stop! Ginger, help me!" Cadie pleaded as Kia pinned the poor, sickly girl down while attempting to force feed the soup to her.

"Sorry, Cadie! Trust me, you'll thank us," I assured her, wincing at the forceful display.

"Stop spitting it out and just accept it!" Kia commanded.

"You're such a freak! Get… off… me…." Cadie stopped flailing, the soup's effect finally taking hold.

"Did you have to be so forceful?" I asked my best friend, frowning in disapproval.

"Well, yeah, you saw her, she wasn't going to eat anymore," Kia said.

"I guess…. Oh, _crap_!" I cursed, startling Kia.

"What? What is it?"

"I forgot to warn her of the side effects!"

"Oh, she'll be alright," Kia said, waving dismissively. "It's not like they're dangerous."

I glanced at Cadie's sleeping form, green specks of the soup flecking her pale face and honey brown hair. I plucked several tissues from the box and wiped her face clean while remembering my own experience with the soup. It was… interesting, to say the least.

 _I wonder if Cadie has met those skeletons yet,_ I wondered.

**Cadie's POV**

"Get off me, Kia…! I said, get off!" I screamed, my eyes popping open, and I gasped sharply, jolting upright. "What the…? Where am I?" I wondered aloud, fear striking my heart when I noticed I was no longer in my bedroom. It was nightfall, and I was surrounded by towering trees bare of their leaves. I slowly rose to my feet, my heart rate steadily increasing in terror. "Ginger? Kia?" I called for my friends, my voice echoing throughout the creepy space. "Hello?! Anybody?!" I screamed.

Something fluttered behind me, and I whirled around, my eyes widening when I saw several pair of blood red eyes peering back at me through the blanket of darkness. I gulped, slowly stepping back while maintaining a fearful gaze on the glowing crimson eyes. Swiftly, I pivoted on my heel and dashed through the forest, not daring to look back.

 _Where am I? How the heck did I end up from my room to here? I have to be dreaming, but if I'm dreaming, why are all my senses still intact?!_ Like literally, I could feel the frigid cool air whipping against my sweating skin, the stinging pain from the tree branches repeatedly scratching my exposed skin, and smell the damp, heavy air. My foot slipped on a patch of wet leaves, and losing my balance, I stumbled forward, tumbling down a small hill. "Ouch!" I cried when I finally rolled to a stop on my back. _Oh, yeah… I totally felt that,_ I thought, inwardly groaning, the dank ground seeping into my pink robe.

Yeah, this definitely could not be a dream. Dreams don't hurt, right?

 _But I'm still in my robe and pajamas,_ I observed. It had to be that stupid soup Kia forced down my throat. _I swear, when I get back that girl was_ so _going to get it! Her and Ginger!_ I vowed, growling.

_"Row, row, row your boat gently down the stream…."_

_"Merrily, merrily, merrily, merrily…."_

_"Life is but a dream…."_

_What the…?_ I sat up, using my elbows to prop my upper body and narrowing my eyes as I strained to hear more.

_"Row, row, row your boat gently down the stream…."_

_"Merrily, merrily, merrily, merrily…."_

_"Life is but a dream…."_

_Those voices… they're coming from straight ahead,_ I thought, climbing to my feet while wincing in pain. I realized I had rolled out of the forest, a large, calm river standing a few feet away from me. A thick mist blanketed the river, but a silhouette of a rowboat appeared in view with three figures holding oars standing in the boat.

_"Row, row, row your boat gently down the stream…."_

_"Merrily, merrily, merrily, merrily…."_

_"Life is but a dream…."_

"Hey! Hey, excuse me!" I shouted, waving franticly. Finally, people! Maybe now I can get some answers.

"Hello!" one voice sang deeply.

"Hello!" another sang in alto.

"Hello!" the last one shouted in a high-pitched tone.

 _"Hello!"_ all three belted in harmony.

 _Why are they singing?_ I thought, irritated.

The boat emerged from the mist, revealing three gray skeletons with gems for eyes. I gasped sharply, a scream caught in my throat as the skeletons drew near.

"Hello, miss, are you lost?" the ruby-eyed skeleton inquired in a soprano tone.

"Would you like some help, miss?" the jade-eyed skeleton sang in alto.

"Do you want to go home, miss?" the sapphire-eyed skeleton questioned in baritone.

The entire time the skeletons spoke—or, rather _sang_ —I stood there, gawking, until the word 'home' snapped me out of my stunned silence.

"H-Home?" I squeaked.

"Yes, the only way you can go home is by boat, miss," Ruby informed me.

"Would you like for us to take you, miss?" Sapphire asked.

"We'd be happy to take you, miss," Jade offered.

 _Ugh, enough with the singing already!_ I groaned inwardly. "Yes, please."

"Then, get in, miss," Ruby invited, gesturing to an open seat, and I climbed in, settling in.

They set off, the forest scenery lazily passing us by. The lapping of the water against the wooden boat was the only sound penetrating the otherwise silent night air. That was, until the skeletons resumed their singing.

 _"Row, row, row your boat gently down the stream…."_ Sapphire lowly sang.

 _"Merrily, merrily, merrily, merrily…."_ Jade chimed.

 _"Life is but a dream…."_ Ruby finished.

_"Row, row, row your boat gently down the stream…."_

_"Merrily, merrily, merrily, merrily…."_

_"Life is but a dream…."_

"Hey, can you stop?" I demanded, scowling. "The singing is really grating my nerves."

_"Row, row, row your boat gently down the stream…."_

_"Merrily, merrily, merrily, merrily…."_

_"Life is but a dream…."_

The skeletons continued singing as if I hadn't spoken, which spiked my irritation.

"Hey! Guys!" I snapped. But the skeletons maintained their disregard of me, gently rowing as they sang. "Ugh, forget it," I muttered.

I just hoped the journey home wasn't too long for my sanity's sake. After a few minutes of slowly traveling down the river, a roaring sound floated toward me, and I strained my ears for better hearing. The roar didn't sound animal but rather something else entirely…. Could it be a waterfall?

_"Row, row, row your boat gently down the stream…."_

_"Merrily, merrily, merrily, merrily…."_

_"Life is but a dream…."_

"Stop!" I shrieked. "Don't you guys here that? I think there's a waterfall up ahead!" The roar was now deafening as we approached closer, my heartbeat pounding in fear. "Guys, the waterfall—!"

"Yes, miss, it's the only way home," Ruby replied.

"No, no, no, no, no, surely, there's some other way?" I pleaded, squeaking when the waterfall appeared in view.

"It's the only way home, miss!" Jade declared.

"The only way home, miss," Sapphire agreed.

 _"The only way home, miss!"_ The skeletons sang harmoniously.

"No, it can't be!" I protested, gripping the side of the boat. "Turn us around! Please!"

"It's too late, miss!" Sapphire sang.

"It's too late, miss," Ruby chimed.

"It's too late, miss," Jade repeated.

_"It's too late, miss!"_

_"No!"_ I howled when the boat went over the edge, plummeting down the waterfall. My stomach lurched to my throat as the boat seemed to descend endlessly. _I'm dreaming! I'm dreaming! I_ must _be dreaming!_ I thought repeatedly, gritting my teeth as I struggled to maintain a firm grip, but that was proving increasingly difficult as the sides grew slick from the waterfall's chilly spray. The water was frigid, freezing every bone in my body, but still I struggled to hang on for dear life. _This isn't happening! I'm not dreaming, am I? I can't be…. All of this feels way too real!_ The skeletons were as chill as the freezing water, no longer singing but instead staring ahead. _Well, if I was already dead, I'd be chilling, too,_ I thought wryly.

After what seemed like forever, the boat finally crashed to the bottom, the jolt launching me forward and into the icy water. I attempted to swim to the surface, but I found with great alarm I couldn't move my body! And if that wasn't terrifying enough, I was sinking! I watched in utter despair as I descended further, my lungs burning from lack of oxygen. Finally, I gasped, the water immediately entering my body and subsequently blacked out.


End file.
